There’s no question Jared Goff had a very successful tenure with the Los Angeles Rams. In five seasons, he led them to the playoffs three times and made the Pro Bowl twice, even taking them to the Super Bowl in 2018.
The relationship between Goff and Sean McVay became fractured and the Rams eventually struck a blockbuster trade sending Goff to the Lions for Matthew Stafford in 2021, acquiring a veteran quarterback they felt would help put them over the top.
That trade has worked out for both teams, with the Lions becoming contenders much sooner than expected and Stafford winning a title in Year 1 with the Rams. On Sunday night, the Rams and Lions will collide in the wild-card round, giving Goff a chance to remind his former team and coach what they traded away.
Goff spoke about facing McVay this weekend and while he admits they had their differences – something that became well-known in recent years – he says they’re on good terms and he learned a lot from McVay.
“Yeah, Sean and I are good,” Goff said. “I think he’s a great coach. I think he’s – obviously, we had our differences there at the end, but he’s a great coach. He’s done a lot of great things and he’s a guy that taught me a lot.”
Like Stafford returning to Detroit, Goff acknowledges the personal aspect to facing the Rams for only the second time since the trade – and the first in the postseason. However, he’s not putting any extra into this game because he wants to beat the team that traded him.
He just wants to win for the city of Detroit, which hasn’t seen a Lions playoff win since 1991.
“I mean, obviously there’s a personal connection there and there – not just for me, but for a lot of our players and some of theirs, as well,” he said. “I so badly want to win a game for this city and win a playoff game for this city that hasn’t had one in so long. We’ve got a home playoff game for the first time in so long and that’s so much more important than anything personally for me. I want to be a part of this win and do my job to the best of my ability.”
For a few weeks, it looked like a Rams-Lions playoff showdown would be a real possibility. Every fan was hoping the bracket would align that way, pitting Goff against the Rams and Stafford against the Lions.
Goff wasn’t surprised by the way things played out with the Rams coming to town, but once he found out it was reality, he locked in.
When it became them, we said, ‘Ready to go and let’s go do it.’”
